Swallow Reef

Swallow Reef
Disputed atoll
Satellite image of Swallow Reef by NASA.
Swallow Reef is located in Spratly Islands
Swallow Reef
Swallow Reef
Other names
Pulau Layang-Layang (Malay)
Đá Hoa Lau (Vietnamese)
彈丸礁, 燕子島, 拉央拉央岛 (Chinese)
Celerio Reef (Philippine English)
Bahura ng Celerio (Filipino)
Geography
LocationSouth China Sea
Coordinates7°22′20″N 113°50′30″E / 7.37222°N 113.84167°E / 7.37222; 113.84167
ArchipelagoSpratly Islands
Area35 ha (86 acres)
Administration
State Sabah
Claimed by
CitySansha, Hainan
StateSabah
MunicipalityCijin, Kaohsiung
DistrictTruong Sa, Khanh Hoa
Additional information
Malaysian population: 70[1]
Malaysian postal code: 88005[2]
Layang-Layang Island

Swallow Reef, also known as Malay: Pulau Layang-Layang; Vietnamese: Đá Hoa Lau; Mandarin Chinese: 燕子島; pinyin: Yànzi Dǎo; Celerio Reef (Filipino: Bahura ng Celerio), is an oceanic atoll of the Spratly Islands administered by Malaysia.

The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) has maintained a presence on the reef since 1983, but as with all of the Spratly Islands, the ownership is disputed, and it is also claimed by the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Vietnam. The Philippines does not lay claim to Swallow Reef.[3]

  1. ^ "Layang Layang Atoll".
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference MY postal code was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ The Philippines does not lay claim to Swallow Reef; it is outside of the Kalayaan Island Group which was defined by Presidential Decree No. 1596 signed by Ferdinand Marcos - "Philippine Presidential Decree No. 1596" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2012.